'Diary Of A Wimpy Kid' Voted Best Children's Book Of Past Ten Year

Wimpy Kid Beats Potter To Top Poll

Boy wizard Harry Potter has lost out to The Wimpy Kid in a poll to find the best children's book of the last 10 years.

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, US author Jeff Kinney's comic tale of the trials faced by hapless Greg in his school life, was voted to the top spot by children.

The Wimpy Kid, published in an illustrated diary format, started life online but has since spawned six books and been adapted for the big-screen.

Young voters, in the survey for Blue Peter, were asked to select their favourite title from a shortlist of the 10 best-selling children's fiction books for five to 11-year-olds in the last 10 years, although only the top seller for each author was included.

As well as JK Rowling's Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, the shortlist featured books by former Children's Laureates Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo.

Comedian David Walliams, whose Mr Stink book, illustrated by Quentin Blake, is being adapted into a BBC1 comedy drama, and John Grisham were also in contention.

Kinney, whose book also beat the Young Bond and Horrid Henry titles, said he was "thrilled and honestly stunned" with the accolade.

"When I saw the terrific books on the Blue Peter shortlist, I thought mine didn't stand a chance.

"I'm so grateful to all of the Wimpy Kid fans in the UK who have supported my books right from the beginning," he said.

Werewolf thriller The Considine Curse, by south London author Gareth P Jones, was named Blue Peter Book of the Year 2012 in the online survey.

The author said his win was a "tremendous honour", adding: "Getting a positive response to a book from just one person feels like a pat on the back, so winning a national award like this is like being whacked between the shoulder blades by an entire army... in a good way."

Blue Peter editor Tim Levell said the winning books were "funny, well-observed and well-written" and "treat children as grown-ups".

Of Harry Potter losing out, he said: "The accident-prone American upstart has snatched a bit of the boy wizard's magic."

Best Children's Book of the Last 10 years shortlist (in title order)

  • Alex Rider Mission 3: Skeleton Key - Anthony Horowitz (2002)
  • Candyfloss - Jacqueline Wilson, illustrated by Nick Sharratt (2006)
  • Diary Of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (2008)
  • Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix - J K Rowling (2003)
  • Horrid Henry And The Football Fiend - Francesca Simon, illustrated by Tony Ross (2006)
  • Mr Stink - David Walliams, illustrated by Quentin Blake (2009)
  • Private Peaceful - Michael Morpurgo (2003)
  • The Series Of Unfortunate Events: Austere Academy - Lemony Snicket (2002)
  • Theodore Boone - John Grisham (2010)
  • Young Bond: SilverFin - Charlie Higson (2005)
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